Chronomancy

Chronomancy is a branch of aether magic that involves the manipulation of time. It is considered very expensive to perform - having only been developed withing civilizations with access to large amounts of ekati.

Chronomancy works by using the weaves of fate as anchoring points. While divination and seers can peer into these weaves to view the future, past and destiny of an entity, chronomancy is actively capable of changing the weaves around to alter the outcome of certain events.

These weaves were directly created by Asmos to directly set Erudite's civilization and development of life along a predetermined path. While free will among mortals still exists, certain major events such as the start of the Demon Wars are deeply ingrained into the fabric of reality so that it is impossible to prevent them from occurring - even by another god. However, it is possible for to manipulate smaller, less significant events. The further away from the present time one is, the more difficult it is to change.

However, all the weaves of fate stop on the Maximum Chronomancy Date which was the start of the new year on 1,020 ADW. This meant that after this date, it became impossible to perform chronomancy and anyone who travelled to that point in time from the past would become stranded, unable to return to their own time. Naturally, this date was often recognized as an ill omen among various ancient civilizations across the world.

Uses

Common

The most common use for chronomancy is an alternative type of healing magic that can locally rewind time on a mortal to reverse any recently inflicted wounds. While it is more expensive to perform than wood-based magic that stimulates cellular repair, chronomantic healing is advantageous in that it leaves no scars as if the injury never happened. Thus, it is often reserved for treating life-threatening injuries where death is imminent

In combat, chronomancy can be used to predict the immediate future. For example, in battle, a person can rewind time by a few seconds to undo a split-second decision. Or in another case, it can be used for interrogation as a rudimentary means of wiping someone's memory. Despite time being rewound, those within the vicinity experience a sense of deja vu - with this sense of familiarity increasing with every subsequent rewind attempt until they become fully aware of the time manipulation.

Lastly, chronomancy can also be used to slow down time in a local area to a near stop. It can be used to put someone in a sort of stasis - either to capture an enemy or to perhaps delay the progression of a disease while a cure is researched. A person in time stasis cannot take any external physical harm until the spell wears off. Relative to the person in stasis, time accelerates around them at blinding speed.

Rare

Large scale acts of chronomancy are considerably rare, usually only capable of being performed by a powerful being such as an Aetherian. For example, the Segaran Technocracy had put an entire city within a time loop which made the local citizens immortal but trapped them within the city.

In the days just before the start of the Demon Wars, the goddess Kronia put the city of Valdin into a time loop that reset itself in an attempt to stop the demon Abraxas from destroying the city. Ultimately not being able to do so, Kronia instead opted to prepare the Kronen Empire the best way it possibly could for the coming conflict.

Some chronomancers have also managed to travel through time greater distances, years and even centuries away from their present time. Among them are those who attempted to see what happens at the Maximum Chronomancy Date, only for them to be stuck there. It is also risky traveling great distances into the past due to landscape changes over time, as chronomancers stay in the exact same position they are relative to Erudite when traveling through time. For example, a chronomancer may get themselves trapped in a rock wall due to the shifting of continents which makes traveling to points in time before the Shattering very difficult.